Morrissey A-Z: "The Lazy Sunbathers"

BookishBoy

Well-Known Member






Today's song is this Morrissey/Whyte composition, the penultimate track on the Vauxhall and I album. [Edit: I've added a second clip as the first one seems to be limited in certain territories.]

What do we think?
 
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One of my all time favourites. The serious subject matter of the song is almost draped in a veil of dreaminess, yet cleverly laced with cutting lyrics.

Nothing
Appears
To Be
Between the ears.


Absolutely beautiful. Masterpiece.

(This always reminds me of another wonderful 'L' song coming up shortly).
 
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A beautiful, feather-light sketch of a song, full credit to Mr Whyte on this one and Morrissey meshes with it perfectly here. Just a brilliant portrait of the profound ennui of the rich. I could never, ever tire of hearing this song.
 
Another characteristically beautiful Vauxhall piece that took a while to completely grow on me, as with some of the other middle of side 2 tracks. Now, though, I see it as a well-done satire on the upper classes and their obsession with materialism overpowering any sort of compassion for those in less fortunate, and thereby more dangerous, situations. Subtle instrumentation helps to push this message forward, also. Another good track from the L section then.
8/10
 


To me it's kind of a minor song, but probably because it's on a great album. I always enjoy hearing it. Added video because the original one doesn't seem to play in US.
7/10
 
Something of an overlooked masterpiece, almost. Warm, immensely dreamy and atmospheric music, paired with razor sharp and timeless criticism of modern day man’s ways. Who else but Moz?
 
very dreamy which M does so well,music is simple and relaxing,all in all a great song and funny in parts.
8 sun/10 bathers.
 
Also, this (as @Mozmar noted earlier)

Nothing
Appears
To be
Between the ears of


is just such a superb example of doing a lot with very few words in a song.
 
Bit of confusion here. This is not a critique of the wealthy (unlike, say, the rich hunters in 'Love is on its way out') - it's a critique of people who like to spend a lot of time lying in the sun (which is the lower middle classes if anything).
A pleasant enough song but nothing more, really.
 
I can feel the sun's warmth in this song. Wonderful.
Lyrically the opposite of "Spent the day in bed" where he was happy to lock himself off from the world.
 
I know it's probably a bit invidious to start finding inconsistencies in lyrics that were written over twenty years apart, but how would the lazy sunbathers know there was a world war, global warming, or children getting shelled if they followed the Spent the Day in Bed edict and stopped watching the news?
 
A song describing the reaction of the French and English to the German invasion of Poland. September 39 must have been hot then. Combining such a theme with this kind of dreamy sound is a real masterpiece. First heard at the Japanese Toshiba edition of Vauxhall and I.
8/10
 
A perfect album track that fits the overall mood. The burning sun is perfectly set off by the guitar reverb and Morrissey is lyrically in top form. Let me wallow in this nostalgia forever.
 
A song I've always played to various girlfriends on various beaches in various locations around the world. Cuba, Sicily, Mallorca, Zanzibar and Barry Island.

They never knew Morrissey was so funny.
 
Such a wonderful song, such a wonderful time.

Also poked fun at the Tangoed generation in the north who had started their love affair with fake tan and then progressing through to living their lives at the Tropicana Tanning Salon or TanFastic, when there was precious little natural sun to give them their fix.

'Too jaded to question stagnation' indeed.
 
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